~ children's author, Andrew Guile

Category Archives: Book Reviews

Okay, I’ll put my hands up! Lorraine is a fellow writer who has come through the same academy that I’m currently working with (Golden Egg) so I might be a little bit eager to say nice things about this book BUT, Lorraine has made that easy with a heart-warming tale of triumph and courage after a rotten start in life.

Mold is a ‘sniffler’ but he doesn’t know it yet. All he knows is that he has a big nose and that he’s different. No one else looks like him. This is how the story begins: –

“When I was a wee babe no bigger an a marrow, Mam put me in the dustbin an left me out fer the binmen. But the binmen didn’t want me neither.”

Now, how can you not root for him right from the start after those opening words!

This fabulous, unique voice flows through the whole story as Mold faces danger to save Aggy, his stepmother who has brought him up and is partial to gin. It’s a fantasy setting so it’s bow and arrow time with swords aplenty as Mold makes his way to the castle where Aggy rots slowly in the dungeon where she’s been put on suspicion of trying to poison the King. Will Mold uncover the true culprit in time to save her? And what of the Boggers? What part do these semi-mythical creatures have to play in events? And what is a ‘sniffler’ anyway?

With battles, unlikely (and very smelly!) friends, sewer travel and intrigue, Mold embarks of a journey of discovery. And, in saving those he loves, he might just end up finding out a bit more about himself along the way.

This is a fabulous ‘feel good’ story ideal for boys and girls from 7-12 years old. Highly recommended.

Okay, this isn’t the first time I have given KM Weiland a ‘shout-out’ but she’s definitely due another from me. Her website http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com is simply awesome. It’s a repository of invaluable advice, tips, lists and guides to help writers get where they want to go. Want to know what elements should be present in your first chapter? Want to know the ins and outs of story structure? It’s all there. There’s movie and book reviews looking at the scaffolding inside that really help open your eyes to the previously invisible structure inside every successful story.

While in a second draft of my current work-in-progress, a middle-grade fantasy, Dragonspire, I knew that the middle of the story was too long and needed trimming and that my protagonist seemed to me to have too many motivators, I needed to nail one or two down and focus on those to help refine the theme. But, it’s one thing to know that something not working, it’s quite another to know how to fix it.

Enter ‘Creating Character Arcs’ and the accompanying Workbook.

I actually listened to the book on audio (I love my Audible subscription!) and grabbed the workbook to go with it.

For anyone reading this who knows nothing about story structure and what KM Weiland is all about, in a nutshell, she (like many others you can read) helps to reveal the structure that exists within all good stories. Stories don’t just work by accident. They work because their structure produces a satisfying and logical story that tracks the highs and lows of the protagonists journey.

The inciting event, first plot point, central reversal, second plot point and the climax are but the main tents poles holding up your story. Your protagonists character arc will track these same points, twisting and turning within the plot structure you have created to give your protagonist the hardest time possible in order to generate the biggest pay-off possible at the explosive conclusion.

Following the audio, I was able to track what was happening in my current draft (in terms of my protagonists arc) against the structure that KM Weiland discusses in the book. At various stages, the book poses questions relevant to specific stages of your character’s journey. In answering those questions, I could see where my story was working (where I had answers to the questions and those answers appeared to be solid) and where it wasn’t (where I had no answers or my answers gave me the wrong outcome). This process exposed flaws in the structure or my story and not only highlighted what was wrong but gave me an idea of what direction I needed to be heading.

Without this book I have no doubt that my current draft would have floundered about like a desperate fish until someone with a hefty club put me out of my misery! Sometimes, as a writer, you feel that at every stage of a story, your protagonist could race off in any one of a million directions, or at least it seems that way. This book helped me focus my thoughts on the key questions I needed to be asking myself about my protagonists journey and enabled me to see that, in fact, there wasn’t a million different directions, there was only a few to choose from and sometimes there was no choice at all, the path was clear. So many times as I listened in the car I would shout, “Yes! That’s what he needs to do!” – meaning my protagonist – and I couldn’t wait to get to a keyboard and back onto Scrivener (which is also awesome BTW – more on that another time) to make the necessary changes to make my story better. As a writer, you cannot ask for a more powerful tool than that.

Anyway, BUY THIS BOOK! It is an essential tome for any writers ‘How to…” shelf. I will definitely be using the Workbook when I next come to plan a story from scratch.

Uplifting, beautiful, brilliant, funny, tender and wonderful are but a few of the words other reviewers have used to describe this book.

We experience the story through the eyes of ten year old Jamie whose elder sister (one of two twin girls) was killed by a Muslim suicide bomber when he was very young. Her death made his father turn to drink, ruined his parents marriage and made his single-parent father despise all Muslims. Told in the first person, Jamie has a very strong voice and is surprisingly nonchalant about his sister’s death to begin with. The story moves with him as he joins a new school while longing to see his estranged mother and befriending a Muslim girl in his class. As you can imagine, trouble awaits when his father finds out about his new friendship.

It touches upon a very important political and social issue currently in terms of extremism leading to prejudice against all Muslims in the minds of some. The story exposes this thought process for what it is though Jamie’s friendship with a Muslim girl which is beautifully written.

While an important and wonderfully written book, I do wonder whether it’s adults enjoying the story more than actual children reading it. Though the protagonist is a boy, I can’t honestly see by two boys (9 and 11) ever reading this. A more thoughtful and emotionally engaged girl of 9-12 might like it but I suspect it’s girls of an older age, say 12-15 (more in the YA range) who might actually read and engage with it properly. My daughter was in that age range when she read and enjoyed it. It’s definitely an upper middle grade novel.

When 11 year old Dan Hope sees his father for the first time in four years, on TV, he sets out on a quest to reunited his family only to find that he was with his true family all the time.

This is a fun story. Dan’s relationship with his sister, ‘Ninja Grace’, his mum and stepfather, Dave are all nicely don as is his desire to get his father (who ran off with ‘Babs’ from the chip shop) back in his life. He sets out to meet his father while, at the same time, staking-out Dave (his stepfather) whom he suspects of cheating on his mother (just like his father did) I love the way, written in the first person, we see the world through Dan’s eyes including the simple ways in which children often view the world and how the complexities of adult life and relationships pass them by. The end is quite sad in some ways, uplifting in others as Dan discovers that he was with his real dad all the time.

It’s not a story with a clear antagonist, there’s no ‘bad guy’. The reader follows Dan on his journey, wrapped-up in his desires and schemes as these are explored as themes. It’s quite funny in places and Dan Hope is a very likeable character. It would suit more thoughtful children and raises awareness of families and what really matters in a father-son relationship.

This isn’t the sort of book I would normally read but I’m glad that I did. I had it recommended to me as a fine example of a middle grade book written in the first person and getting really close in to the protagonist. It does exactly that and is an impressive debut.

The story follows the heart-breaking – and yet uplifting – story of Miracle (Ira) and her younger brother, Zac who are ‘care kids’. They have a ‘book of memories’ that shows them on a chair with a black dog, but that’s about it. They dream of a time when they may find their mum again or of being wanted by a normal family. They expect very little out of life. It may sound too maudlin for children but it’s a real consciousness raiser for children who’ve perhaps had little reason to think much about how other, less fortunate, children grow up.

It’s set in the 1980’s which seems to be a very popular setting for a few middle grade books at the moment (Time Travelling with a Hamster comes to mind). There are Poll Tax protests and later in the book, Ira and Zac get caught-up in a riot in central London with heartrending consequences.

Despite all her problems and worries, Ira remains a stoic and likeable character. She begins the book nine years old and ends it eleven. I was a little bit surprised that the writing changed very little to show that change in age but it didn’t really effect my read too much. She and Zac start spending an increasing amount of time with a lady called, Martha but, even then, you really feel for Ira as her narration suggests that she has no expectations of where this time spent with Martha might lead. She dismisses pretty quickly any hope that begins to bloom within her. Hope does not come easily to Ira and any adult reading this book will want to hug her for it.

Overall, it’s an uplifting, thought-provoking book. Perhaps more suited to girls that boys but there’s enough there for boys to latch onto. It explores what it is to grow up in care, to hope for nothing more complicated that a family and to enjoy life when you have so much to be unhappy about.

Thankfully, there is a happy ending but it’s not an easy route for the children. Highly recommended to children (girls particularly) between 10-12.

I have just finished this and have been left more wowed than I have in years. What an amazing story!

Al’s father is dead and on his 12th birthday he’s given a letter that his late father left for him. This explains that his father had discovered a way to travel in time and he wants Al to go back in time to prevent his death. As the book cover suggests, this doesn’t all go to plan as Al’s father dies a second time and it’s all Al’s fault!

The writing is superb. Al’s travels are full of asides about TV, growing up and his endearing relationship with his grandfather as well as drawing numerous contrasts between modern childhood and the experiences of children in the 1980’s. Written in the first person, these asides allow us to get to know Al really well, draws us into his troubles and makes us root for him.

The book never slows down. It moves at a cracking pace. The sheer number of different, well thought-out, events is impressive. I confess to being a little bit surprised though at the amount of science in the book (you really do learn about the physics of time travel!). I’m not convinced that I would have followed it all completely at the age of twelve but it’s done well and through the eyes of Al. That said, Al is a pretty smart kid and I suspect that this book is very much aimed towards the upper end of the age range it’s positioned for.

I also couldn’t help but wonder at the cover artwork. It struck me as being likely to attract younger readers, especially as the title involves a hamster! Alan Shearer (Al’s hamster) does have a key role to play but this is not a cute story about a boy and his pet. It’s a sophisticated story about time travel and a boys quest to save his father and the dangers that come with meddling in space-time.

The story is also quite complex. The planning that must have gone into it is mind-boggling, not to mention very, very impressive indeed. Various strands of the tale draw together at the end to provide a truly memorable ending that will leave you wanting to start all over again.

It’s a fabulous story and one of the best middle grade books I have read in years. Highly recommended to children 10+.

I had been looking forward to this book all year having pre-ordered it on Amazon what seems like ages ago.

The story follows the struggles of Podkin (a rabbit), his sister Paz and baby brother Pook as they flee into the snowy woods after the evil Gorm – mentally twisted, blood-thirsty, iron-clad rabbits – have overrun their warren and killed their father, the chief.
The story is told by a wandering bard on Bramblemass Eve to a clutch of entranced young rabbits. We cut from the tale every now and then to remind us of how the story is being told and for the bard to field questions from the young rabbits.
It opens really well. Atmospheric and engaging as the bard trudges through the snow to the burrow.
The Gorm are tracking Podkin as he has a fabled dagger that can cut anything other than iron. As they flee, Pod, Paz and Pook find friends and foes as they try to keep one step ahead of the Gorm.
I enjoyed the story very much but did find a number of aspects rather odd (spoilers imminent!). The story is entitled ‘Podkin One-Ear’ so I sort of assumed that the loss of his ear would be of some significance in the story. Nope. He loses it very early on, trapped under a portcullis fleeing a warren. Pretty unlucky but of no other importance. I then wondered if it would ‘mark’ him in some fashion, make him easier for the Gorm to find… nope. No one is searching for a rabbit with one ear. I then wondered if it would have some significance in the final scenes of the book. Nope.
The book ends well all the same. There’s a little twist, which I won’t spoil here, in a satisfying ending. Although very few in number, there are some wonderful double-page illustrations at key stages in the book. Personally, I would have happily seen more of those.
I’ve seen that other reviewers compare it to Watership Down. Other than the characters being rabbits, I don’t really follow the comparison at all. It’s a good book in its own right. Kids will enjoy the relationship between the three rabbits and the characters they meet along the way. It’s action packed and a sequel seems assured.

I became aware of Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce at a recent Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) writing group and thought I’d give it a try. Wow! I’m glad that I did. What a fabulous book.

The story is a very endearing tale of what happens when an autistic boy is the unwitting recipient of a bag full of cash hurled off a train into his den in his back garden (he calls his den a ‘Hermitage’ though). The boy, Damian, knows everything about saints, regurgitating facts about them in school, at home and everywhere else. When the bag of cash lands he thinks it’s a gift from God and sets out to spend it on the poor and other meaningful causes. The only problem is that people start to ask questions and time is running out for Damian and his older brother, Anthony because the cash is in British pounds and the country is just days away from switching to Euros. If they don’t spend the cash before the switch, it will be worthless.

The writing is very accomplished and very funny. Damian’s view of the world and how people react to him is seen through his autism. He’s very black and white in how he interacts with people, taking a literal stance on issues with his autism robbing him (or is it sparing him…?) of the true realities and nuances. This has been deftly employed by Boyce to create humour and an endearing quality to Damian’s character.

Who threw the cash from the train? Will they come back for it? How do Damian and Anthony rationalise trying to spend tens of thousands of pounds of stolen money? This is a engaging moral dilemma that Damian deals with effortlessly!

I highly recommend this to anyone, child or adult. I will definitely be looking out for more books by Boyce. The fact that this book is now to be a major motion picture, is no surprise to me at all.

What a cracking debut. Anything starting on an airship is going to hook me right from the start! I love steampunk.

After the explosive prologue, where Lily’s father’s airship is shot down and he’s feared lost, we meet Lily at school showing her feisty character and protecting the mechanical maid who the other girls treat appallingly. We get a feel for her as a character very quickly and soon the reader is immersed in a world of ‘mechanicals’ and ‘mechanimals’ many of whom were designed and built by Lily’s late father. Lily is desperate to find any news of him, refusing to accept that he is dead. Meanwhile, she and her human sidekick, Robert and her mechanical fox, Malkin set out to find answers and to discover the lengths that their unknown nemesis will go to to possess the Cogheart.
I listened to this on audio and thoroughly enjoyed it. Peter Bunzl has created a wonderful world of aeronauts, airships and villainy. Okay, the discovery of who the bad guy is was no surprise at all (it was pretty obvious from the start) but children probably won’t spot the early hint and will love the world building, action and the fabulous Lily who is a truly wonderful character. Highly recommended and an impressive debut.

In my desire to read as widely as possible in the genre, I grabbed this. It’s been a successful series which now runs to five books, this being the first.

I ended up liking the story though I almost lost my way at the start. Seth and Kendra are shipped off to their estranged grandparents when their own mother and father go on a cruise. They discover that their grandparents are caretakers of Fablehaven, a sanctuary for magical creatures and the home of a secret and important magical artifact.

To start with, the story has little if any direction. The children explore Fablehaven, discovering things and getting themselves into trouble as they predictably do almost everything that they are told not to by their grandfather. It’s only much later in the book that potential (and then actual) conflict appears as they begin to learn about the Society of the Evening Star and an ancient demon is unleashed.

It’s well written, the setting is indeed magical and the story is best appreciated for the pictures it paints in your mind than it is for the actual story arc which, as I say, appears rather late on in the tale. If you like fairies, satyr’s, golems. witches and demons, this book is for you! In some ways, it very much reminded me of the Spiderwick Chronicles.

I’m guessing that the next four books will have very much less preamble and will get on with developing the main conflict in the story and unveiling more secrets about Fablehaven. I’m looking forward to that and will definitely be grabbing the next installment!